'The short, sordid and violent life of the notorious Roman emperor some have compared to Donald Trump.' KIRKUS REVIEW, US

'Was Caligula really mad, bad and dangerous to know? Discover whether he deserves his infamy - or not - in this engrossing character study of the famous emperor.' MARGARET GEORGE, New York Times bestselling author of The Confessions of Young Nero and The Splendor Before the Dark

'A compelling page-turner. It reads like a political thriller. Which it is. It reads like a work of investigative journalism. Which it is. It reads like a myth-busting period history. Which it is. The author, clearly familiar with, yet never pedantic about, the primary sources, dispels many old libels masquerading for centuries as fake news. Meanwhile he provides us with an abundance of documented stories so lurid as to dwarf the overhyped misdemeanors of today... Caligula may herald the perfection of a new literary genre: "forensic history." It takes narrative history to a virtuoisic level with a timeless story extremely well-told.' RALPH BENKO, US columnist

'A marvelous book. Stephen Dando-Collins offers a fresh scholarly perspective on the notorious emperor Caligula that succeeds admirably in being of interest to professional scholars of the early Roman Empire and to the general reader. This is a lively, engaging volume that is a true pleasure to read. Anyone interested in ancient Rome will want to acquire and enjoy this great new addition to the bibliography.' DR. LEE FRATANTUONO, Professor of Classics, Ohio Wesleyan University, and author of Caligula, An Unexpected General.

Was the young third of emperor of Rome sex-crazed, bedding his three sisters and engaging in drunken orgies? Did he make his horse a senator, and declare himself a god? Did he set out to invade Britain only to order his troops to collect sea-shells on a French beach? Did he consign biblical figures Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas to ignominious fates? Did he prove to be, as his predecessor Tiberius predicted, a viper set loose on the Roman people? Can Caligula and Donald Trump justifiably be compared?

The 1979 movie 'Caligula' was full of distortions about Caligula; distortions which have entered the popular imagination. In this riveting, widely researched new biography of the young emperor, Stephen sets out to sort the facts from the fictions, and, based on his knowledge as a renowned international expert on the legions of Rome, provides answers to questions that have perplexed biographers and historians for centuries.

Being published on July 30, 2019 in the US by Turner Publishing in hardback, paperback, e-book and audio book.